October 2003 Newsletter

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Happy Autumn! New York City is brisk and cloudless blue, with a bit of added energy and hustle. Running in the new park along the Hudson River is beautiful and exhilarating, and leads to much introspection.

Common among many people whose lives we admire (Leonardo da Vinci, for example) is the ability to live with high levels of uncertainty. Einstein had this ability; Thomas Jefferson had it; and we strive for it in ourselves, even when all we want is a big, comfy safety net, complete with Barcalounger, Mallomars and satellite TV. Acceptance of uncertainty, persistence in the face of obstacles, curiosity, willingness to try new things, to experiment, to seek out and embrace change…and above all, a refusal to become complacent: these are the qualities we aim for.

1. “Striking 12″ This Holiday Season: Old Globe Theatre, San Diego!
We are thrilled to announce that the second season of the GrooveLily holiday show, “Striking 12,” will occur at the Old Globe Theatre, nestled in beautiful Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

We’ll be rehearsing during the last 2 weeks of November, and the show will run on the Cassius Carter Centre Stage from December 7 through December 31, closing with a very special New Year’s Eve celebration.

“Striking 12″ is still evolving and changing, and will be a different experience from what many of you saw at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia last year, or at TheatreWorks in Mountain View in the spring. Director Ted Sperling and playwright Rachel Sheinkin will both be reprising their roles in San Diego; and we’re delighted to be adding a set designer and costume designer as well.

Our fabulous friend Rob Killenberger will be designing sound, and someone wonderful, as of yet unnamed, will be designing lights. There will be many designs.

3. *Bottom Line, NYC Show* Wed, Oct 15! Help Save This Legendary Club
For those who haven’t heard, the Bottom Line is in trouble. This historic Village nightspot has featured an incredible number of seminal musicians over the past 30 years: Ringo Starr, Miles Davis, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Stevie Wonder, the Police…to name only a very few. Audiences have been dwindling since 9/11, and the club owes a lot of back rent to its landlord, NYU.

The club almost closed down a week ago — but Sirius Satellite Radio has stepped in to bail the Bottom Line out, and the proprietors have been given a four-week reprieve. The continued existence of this beloved venue is still in jeopardy — so please join us for our just-booked concert on Wednesday, October 15 and help save the Bottom Line!

4. “Perseverance” TV Spot Widens Its Reach
People are starting to notice the Today’s Military commercial featuring Val and GrooveLily, on the air. If you do happen to see the spot, please let us know; every little bit of tracking is very helpful.

Any band that shoves the electric violin to the forefront of their sound is aces with me. This trio of American music vets supply no sugary confection here – simply unique, unashamedly intelligent pop music. Positively singable melodies and cream-of-the-crop musicianship make this album one of the great finds of 2003. Put ARE WE THERE YET? in your car stereo and you won’t be turning on the radio anytime soon.

6. Radio Promotion For “Are We There Yet?” Underway With Powderfinger
Dave Avery of Powderfinger Promotions is our new radio promoter! He comes highly recommended from several other artists we know, and we’re very happy to have him on our team.

“Are we there yet?” went out to over 150 AAA (Adult Album Alternative) non-commercial radio stations on September 22, and our official “add date” is today, October 6 (meaning that’s when we hope they’ll add us to their playlists).

7. Early Adopters/Targeted Radio Stations: You Can Help
First off, big props to those maverick/pioneering DJs who are ALREADY spinning GrooveLily! We love them so – and we hope you do too.

are all the beloved stations and DJs mentioned above, PLUS the stations we sent to in our first mailing. (These mostly consist of radio folks who are already familiar with us.)

If you are interested, we welcome you to call up and request our music! (The only caveat: please don’t call incessantly, or the DJs will be annoyed.)

As Dave Avery, radio promoter extraordinaire, does his work over the coming days, we will update our list to reflect the additional stations and DJs that he is targeting.

8. Reminder: Please Update Your Profile
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to update your subscriber profile. This will help ensure that you don’t receive any unwanted invitations to GrooveLily shows FAR from your home.

9. New Batch Of Interesting Industry Articles: Good Readin’
If you’ve been with us for a while, or anywhere really, you know that the music industry is in a tizzy.

As independent musicians operating under the radar of the Big 5 labels, we watch the machinations of these folks as they try to keep thieving downloaders at bay, and struggle to maintain their shrinking profitability in the face of inexorable, fundamental changes.

For some interesting reading on this topic, check out the variety of articles we’ve posted for you here:

http://www.groovelily.com/press/industry/industry.html

Yes, consolidation and corporatization of commercial radio is sad. Our suggestion: turn to noncommercial and internet radio – it’s where all the most interesting stuff happens. The backlash has begun.

Unlike some big-label execs, we embrace technological progress — it’s good for us, and for all Quality Music Revolutionaries.

We encourage downloading and sharing of the free tracks and soundclips on our website:

11. Choice Lyric Of The Month
“Scrap Of Hope”
by John Margolis & Don Rosler

just a bitta good news, a little scrapa hope
in the nicka of time, near the enda of the rope
a glimmer of light, a little shimmer in the periscope
the tiniest sign on the rockiest road
a bitta good news, a little scrapa hope

John’s a good friend of ours; he played jazz gigs with Gene years ago, and toured with Val in 2001 on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour.

Now he’s got a killer debut CD of his own, which is getting quite a bit of attention on NPR. We’ve been digging it in the van, and recommend it HIGHLY to you — if you like the raspy / sexy growl of Joe Cocker, combined with smart lyrics, sophisticated orchestration, a unique / heartfelt/ tender / occasionally wacky worldview, and great piano playing. Just like GrooveLily, he’s very difficult to pigeonhole; John’s music is in a category of one.

NOTE: You can see him LIVE, opening for us solo at Bodles Opera House on October 31!
Groove Saladwww.somafm.com

We’ve found Groove Salad to be terrific working music (fun, mostly wordless electronica that keeps you bopping along and nicely energized without being distracting). Enjoy.